When I heard news from one of my Disilgold.com Insiders that ETTA JAMES (WWW.ETTA-JAMES.COM), the lady who made the song, AT LAST a global hit share a few harsh words toward the singer Beyonce’ in regard to her performance of the song at President Obama’s Inauguration and even poked fun at Obama’s physical traits, I had to step into the shoes of one of my trademarked PERSOULNALITIES called SMEARING SMUT and match it with Etta. The poem in my self-poetry book entitled, PERSOULNALITIES: POEMS FOR EVERY KIND OF WOMAN by Heather Covington, available on www.BronxPoetryDiva.com is on page 14. Before I begin, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are two beautiful souls. End of that discussion. And why is ETTA dying her hair blonde??? Looks like the blonde ambition has shown her true colors and I couldn’t think of a better poem to pay tribute to the diva.
The poem goes like this:
SMEARING SMUT
Copyright 2001. Heather Covington.
” I got in your game… but I was too much to handle.
You were intimidated by my presence…tried to put out the candle.
You smeared my name… left me out in the rain.
Pertended you were sincere… but were playing games.
You questioned my work… everyone was listenting and alert.
Deliberately belittled me… you knew I was hurt.
Now you’ve bought the king down… how does it feel.?
My dais is ruined… tell me what you found?
A little competition never hurt a soul,
But some hearts are too restless… while others are old.
I got in your game… like I said before.
Should have smelled your presence before I walked through the door.
I hope you’re finally sitting’ up on your high horse.
Could have had a friend to support you…
but you chose elimination of course.
I’m not in your way…so bask in your glory all day.
A smearing smut like you….
should be at the top of her class anyway!”
The moral to the poem is that there will always be haters who when their shine dims, they try to step on others to get their own shine. Now there is nothing wrong with a great singer getting her shine on, but when you step on others to bring shine to your game, there is a problem. To make cold-hearted comments toward someone who gave light to ETTA in a movie about her life and her ONE HIT that may have helped boost sales of her original album was rude, mean-spirited and uncalled for. But- of course, as someone who understands the music industry well, you’re only rich if you write, produce, arrange, sing and own your songs. The distribution is the icing in the cake one can handle sharing a little profit, but like most music contracts way back, the performer got pennies and may have been lucky to do gigs in Cali and make a living. Now that can be lucrative too, and maybe why Etta James who I agree can out sing her own song on any give day by any artist I have seen attempt to perform it, may have slipped with some good-hearted humor. However, when news hits the fan, the diva to diva damage has already been done and now the entire notion is disgraced. Haven’t folks learned something with this new election to stop hating on their brothers and sisters? It makes you want to take your millions and run and tell those haters to kiss my diva heart… (A cleaner version for what I really mean here), but as I have said time and time again, before anyone can knock down talent they are going to have to prove a person talentless in the court of law. DEFAMATION doesn’t have to be smearing someone. It could be the intentional harm implied and done without probable cause. This bull steals from ticket sales of other artists when there are fueds because people are always going to side with the person they can relate to better. Haters side with haters. You can’t win with haters conspiring unless you dismiss them. I wouldn’t even respond to any of that nonsense but I might say,” I respected Etta and thought the world of her as someone who paved the way for other music artists, but I deeply regret that these words were transposed in the eyes of young kids and my supporters whom I would like to remind them of the mentors who truly supported me. She’s no longer a role model of mine. Moving on! ”
The reason why I encourage Beyonce to make this statement is simple. The damage has already been done and now it is time to throw Etta’s negativity back. Don’t let her negativity attach onto you. You expect these more seasoned divas in their domain to support younger artists, but noooo… they want to be queens their whole life of everything and not sincerely help a single soul rise to the top. It was selfish natured and created a lot of already haters to truly prey on the singer. Now here comes all of the media just like Etta interviewing the woman and giving her what she wanted and that was publicity at Beyonce’s expense. And of course, someone like me who is not a hater will have to exert her authority as just one in a million people and more who count and make a difference to cut off the Nielson box, ban that media entity from my viewing because I am just in a different place in my life. People are what they entertain and I am not a bout negativity, so I have to dismiss it. I wouldn’t cater to it or sucker up to it. When folks hate you it is a final decision. It is my belief when people hate you they hate themselves. With all going on in this world, one out of ten people acquiring cancer and so forth, you would think people would be more sensible. Doesn’t Etta have enough money to be happy?
I once admired Etta’s work, but now the disgraced soul diva is no longer on my list of the greatest singers. I guess she thought she could do an Aretha Franklin who balked at the same singer for mistakenly calling Tina Turner “The Queen of Soul!” In other words, if you have made a mane for yourself, it is not the new artist job to research past icons with the same terms. It is whomever produced the show. I mean aren’t there prompts? Now don’t tell me these tv shows let folks just come up on stage and say whatever or set up artists. And-there is an issue of diplomacy. If Aretha didn’t like a comment, than why not contact the artist personally and ask her to retract her statement with a press conference? Why spread more hate? And it’s not like I am taking up for Beyonce or Obama here. I am just stating how tacky the whole ordeal was.
The bible says one has to forgive, but when you allow a negative person to stab you than you deserve that. It’s your choice to let negativity kill your spirit and destroy it or be strong and stand up to your true feelings when someone tries to bring you down. That has got to be a lot to take for a young artist coming from a grown ass mentor. Etta is not classy and if remembered, her reign will be her fatal abortion of a child of God. That’s what Etta did in my opnion. She literally killed a child that rebirthed from her womb to relive her glory. I would feel like a fool, but Beyonce doesn’t have to feel like a fool if she openly DENOUNCES HER APOLOGY which I am sure will arrive today!
Of course, Etta is going to retract her statement and say she was just kidding, but if you kill someone by accident while driving, will folks accept one was just kidding? Sorry to be graphic, but even on my hardknock side of the town where you can’t break Bronx divas,I felt a stinging blow when I heard what Etta said. It’s an embarrassment to the entire music industry. Etta just killed the unity in MUSIC. Back to reading books and I don’t want to hear about this kind of negativity ever again when I read the news. Let other divas shine. I don’t only talk the talk, I walk it. Catch a glimpse of my book that pays tribute to the Literary Divas in my domain over at www.Disilgold.com entitled, Literary Divas: The Top 100+ Most Admired African American Women in Literature.
JUST IN:
CHECK OUT THE MANY FACES OF ETTA JAMES here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=128015578. I grabbed the best Disilgold.com Insiders referral today. If you know of more sites of ETTA DIVA JAMES, please email me at Disilgold@aol.com. She did have character though, and I just found out that she did apologize. WOW! So I may retract my statement. Le’ts find out if Etta was sincere. Make sure you check out the Grammy’s this Sunday on CBS. That David Lettterman is poping shots at Aretha Franklin right now. I’ll be back with my take on the GRAMMY’S.
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